The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-12-07
CITY OF THE DEAD.
Professor CushiDg's Lecture on the
Ancient Zuni.

A special meeting of the CalifoIni
Academy of Sciences was held las
evening. The auditorium was vel
filed with invited guests. who enioyeC
the lecture OF Professor Frank HamI
ton Cushing on the discovery Of th'
ruined city OF Los Muertoe. Arizona
During the lecture the professor helc
| his hearers attention, and his imita'
tions of the Zuni songs and lullaby were
highly appreciated and earned we'll
merited applause. He was, unfortunate
~, in delicate health, the result Of his ten
years life in and among the Zuni In
dians, and his researches on the Ari-
IONA deserts. Though really unable TO
appear last night, he persisted in de
livering the discourse, as, in his own
words, he ''never breaks an engage
ment." In the middle of his discourse
he tainted away, but after some tine
continued the lecture.
The topic of his address was 8 sequel
to his lecture of two or three weeks ago
On this occasion it was be sketch Of the
circums tances Of his investigations In
the Salt River Valley, in Arizona.
my youthful days IN New York, !"
he said, were spent IN locking for re-
mains of IrOquOls indians, and my
5aTlv opinions were correct as snbse-
quent events showed me thew we're
anonymous to the chronological inyesti.
cations of scientists. This led me to
follow up my studies. In field which
had been plOwed sixty or eigh wears
ago 70 New York one can see the traces
Of ancient encampments. learned To
Sc them there, and it was the same
knowledge that enabled me 40 discover
tle ancient city of the dee d in a rizona.
l these researches l was assisted hv
the llberaiIJy OF Mrs. Henenway anu
The Bureau OF EthnolOgy of Boston.
En- route from Phoenix, Arizona
to the Salt River Valley, [ discovered
series OF mounds, not cry marked bnt
sill evidently artificial ! began 10
hunt around on the surface and saw on
the ground all the signs of an early
Iudian village. There were traces OF
pottery, stone implements ana domestic
utensils. On discovering these signs
my men came upon Jsr3, saueer-iike
bowls and traces Of houses about three
to five feet from the ground We found
the foundations Of an ancient CITY OF
5reat magnitude. The architecture
may be called terra GOTTA. not adobe.
The walls were nodded, and in some
places blocks nave rounded corners.
Ahe blocks must have been made hy
instruments and pressed INTO shane.
"One of the blocks OF th2. city-Ko. T
on our maps nearly as iarga as the
whole town which is the present Zupi
capital. We may safely say he ancient
city Wa5 more Than twenty times as
large as the modern town u Zuni
which contains 5000 souls. Judrs
then, what 1he population Of Los
AUerJCs was eleven centuries ag0.
The great buildings of 105 rooms. are
situated IN bl0Cks, and each block was
oy wall Of great soUdity.
The streets 1Un about 10 degrees out OF
the true north line. ihis city vas ever
whelmed ny 2 succession ~ earth
Qpske5. The fires or the hearth set fire
10 the roofs, so thst IN digging up the
remains CT these rooms we found the
rafters laid out III streaks of char
coal. SO sudden Was the catasr Cphe
that people haC not time to cary away
anything, and this sCcounts for the
discovery o. so many ancient lars and
toolsF etc. In other places they found
articles Inst TemalueG II meeting halls
Ot the ancient tribes, well preserved.
Within the houses were graves Of |
terra Gotta or adobe, and inside were
skeletons, with The heads almost always |
east. These skeletons we're |
with paraphernalia accord |
ng TO their rank. Outside the houses |
we're cemeteries, containing cremated |
human remains in manV-shaDed UrnS !
Many Of the vessels found are decor. |
lted in three or four colOrs, butin every |
case you will find an accidental reak |
n The band or decoration around the |
ars. This arose from the superstitions
u the Zuni, who thought vessels had |!
lie, as 1t had been observed among
hem that when vessel broke il gave
oud twang. Banding it all around |
would not allow the echo of the can
'onS or Its lie to come out. 1t is ex.
.ciiiy 50 with the Zuni of to day, and in
heir pottery IS exactly The same char
cterlsuc OF their ancient al cestcls.
The Zunl actually believed their yes
els had a soul, and put small hole
lroug h uLns SO that they would be
cad as well as the cremated remains
thin.
Il found preserved III a grotto an
lent plumes Identical to those in use
mone the present tribes. The ZunI :
tual has ben religiously transferred
trough generations, and some of the
Ords are now obsolete.
These people had a wonderful svs-
IN of canals, and our men have IN
1vered about three miles of large
ais
He concluded by singing in zuni the
maidens' song" and lullaby. The {
usic has beautiful rhythm and
pleasing construction for a
arbaric race. Professor Carlos
roger has adapted the "luI aby'.
Id other pieces to music for Pro
ssor Cushing's report TO Washington.
0ston and Eastern professors failed
conStrue The harmony ana time, but
this case 1t is being handled by g
an who has made a study of the
elodies OF South and North American
dians, and with success.-San Fran =
GO Call, 1st. I
-S--
Don't Z